Page 1 of A Dangerous Proposal

Chapter One

Madison Amherst clenched her jaw and turned her back on the two men who’d been blatantly staring at her for the last five minutes.

They weren’t eventryingto be subtle, and she wasn’t in the mood to play nice with others.

Lifting her glass, she took a slow sip, wishing the bubbles were champagne instead of club soda. Alcohol would help take the edge off, but she couldn’t afford even one mistake—not with Felix’s lawyer watching her every move, ready to pounce on any excuse to paint her as unfit to raise Jax.

She scanned the crowded restaurant, silently willing Cami to find her and end this miserable night.

Where is she?

The scene at celebrity chef Kip Jordan’s newest hotspot was loud, over-packed, and exactly the kind of place she hated—full of Atlanta’s elite, all desperate to be seen.

She hadn’t wanted to come, but Kip was their biggest advertiser, and Cami shouldn’t have to deal with the creep alone. Madison owed her that, and so much more.

Especially since her best friend had been carrying more than her fair share of the workload lately while Madison’s life crumbled around her.

One of the men behind her laughed loudly, and her fingers flexed hard on her cup. Madison didn’t turn to look, but she felt them move closer, crowding her space.

Just breathe, she reminded herself.

Focus on the goal. Once Kip re-signs his ad deal, we can go back to only thinking about the show.

Madison loved their cold case podcast,Murder She Spoke. Not only because she enjoyed working with her best friend, but because the job gave her an outlet to help people—hopefully to find the answers they needed.

Over the last few years, two of their seasons had broken cases open and contributed to arrests. She was proud of that, even if the family court system seemed to think her job exposed her nephew Jax to danger. Madison only hoped she would get the same closure as the families they’d helped. That someday she would learn the truth about whatexactlyhappened the afternoon her sister died of a suspected accidental drug overdose.

Accidental, my ass.

Madison’s heart rate surged as the call from her attorney that afternoon replayed in her head.

“Felix’s motion for unsupervised visitation has been approved.”

A knot of panic squeezed in her chest at the thought of that monster having any part in Jax’s life, much less spending time alone with him. Felix may not have injected Opal himself, but he was still responsible in Madison’s mind.

She didn’t care if he was telling the truth about being sober. Nothing could change the fact that he had manipulated and abused her little sister for years.

I will die before I let that bastard get custody of Jax.

Madison gazed wistfully at the cocktails being passed around as she finished her club soda

“Hey, Beautiful.”

A voice cut into her thoughts, and a slightly damp, hairy arm brushed against her bare one. She instantly pulled back and looked up to find the two men from before standing way too close. They both reeked of expensive whiskey. One wore a purple blazer over a bright paisley-print shirt, and the other was encased in an undersized sweater that, with its sleeves pushed up to his elbows, stretched over his admittedly impressive torso.

She grit her teeth and gave them a curt nod before turning her gaze away, hoping they’d take the hint and go away.

Cami, where are you?

Paisley-shirt leaned in, his eyes skimming over her. He didn’t bother hiding his appreciative gleam as his gaze lingered on the V-neck of her black dress before he leaned even closer.

“I’ll let the search party know.”

“Huh?” Madison shifted backward, her hip bumping the bar as she tried to create space between them.

“I heard heaven was looking for a missing angel.”

“Bro, that was terrible.” Tiny-sweater guffawed at his friend’s cheesy line, then he winked at her. “Even if it is completely accurate.”

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